


Presents Wrapped Beneath the Tree

by queentheea



Category: The 100 (TV), The 100 Series - Kass Morgan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Foster Family, Christmas Fluff, Christmas Party, F/M, Family Dynamics, Gen, I Saw Mommy Kissing Claus (Song), Madi is 7 in this, POV Child, many characters play a minor role, more make apperances, so still Santa aged?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:01:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28307952
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/queentheea/pseuds/queentheea
Summary: Madi likes to think that she’s a really good kid. This year, she wants something extra special from Santa. What she doesn't expect to stumble upon during a Christmas party at her foster parent's house is Santa himself - kissing Clarke.Or, an "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" AU with foster kid!Madi and foster parents!Bellarke, requested for the t100fic4blm Initiative!
Relationships: Bellamy Blake & Clarke Griffin & Madi, Bellamy Blake/Clarke Griffin
Comments: 12
Kudos: 136
Collections: The t100 Writers for BLM Initiative





	Presents Wrapped Beneath the Tree

**Author's Note:**

  * For [infieldsofgold](https://archiveofourown.org/users/infieldsofgold/gifts).



> I'm so proud of myself for finishing this one in time for Christmas. This is for infieldsofgold - thank you so much for trusting me with your idea and have a Merry Christmas!
> 
> The absolute BIGGEST thank you to [sparklyfairymira](https://sparklyfairymira.tumblr.com/) for making me a mood board with such short notice! You're a gem <3
> 
> This fic was prompted to me as a part of the t100 Writers for BLM Initiative! [Check out the carrd here!](https://t100fic-for-blm.carrd.co/)

Madi likes to think that she’s a really good kid. She always says her pleases and her thank you’s. She stands up for Ethan when the other kids are being meanies at recess. She’s  _ never _ naughty. Okay, except for maybe that one time she snuck a cookie from the jar when Clarke wasn’t looking. But that’s it! Surely Santa won’t hold that against her. Bellamy says that Santa is always watching and he sees everything, even when Clarke isn’t paying attention.

Madi has been especially good this year. She might have an ulterior motive. You see, she’s asking Santa for a  _ real _ special gift this year. Madi wants a family. She has a particular family in mind, too. Madi wants Bellamy and Clarke to adopt her. Sure, they’re the best foster family ever already, but Madi wants them to want her just as much as she wants them. She wrote it down in her letter to Santa and everything. She was really careful to seal the envelope exactly how Clarke showed her so that they wouldn’t see and feel bad. She even stuck a sticker in the middle of the seal. She wants Bellamy and Clarke to be her real family, but she doesn’t want them to feel like they hurt her feelings if they can’t be. Madi knows that this is a lot to ask. Even from Santa. 

Madi skips home from school with her friend Ethan. Ethan’s mother is following close behind. Madi is especially excited to get home and help Clarke put up all the decorations for the Christmas party they’re having tonight. 

They arrive at Clarke and Bellamy’s house and Madi waves goodbye to Ethan and his mom. She opens the door and goes to drop her backpack on the floor before thinking better of it and laying it neatly on the bench. Bellamy had told her that Santa will be watching very carefully, after all. Madi won’t risk her Christmas wish not coming true.

“There you are,” Bellamy says, emerging from the kitchen. “Did you say thank you to Ethan’s mom for walking you back?”

“Yes,” Madi says gleefully, giving him a hug on her way into the kitchen.

There are cookies cooling on the counter that Bellamy must have just pulled out of the oven for the party tonight. Madi is tempted to sneak one when Bellamy isn’t looking but quickly remembers her wish to Santa once more. 

“Good day at school?”

“We got to use watercolours during art! I’m going to give mine to Clarke for Christmas!”

“I’m sure she’ll love that, Madi.” Bellamy ruffles her hair as he brushes past her to take another batch of cookies out of the oven.

“When can we start decorating for the party?” Madi asks.

“As soon as Clarke gets home from work.”

Madi is excited about the Christmas party. It’s the first time she’s ever been to one, and Clarke and Bellamy even let her invite two friends from school. Madi sits at the counter and eats an apple (imagining it is one of the cookies for the party) while she continues to talk with Bellamy. It’s Friday, so she doesn’t have any homework to do. After a while she hears the door open and Clarke walks in.

“Mads, want to help me get these bags out of the car? I bought all the decorations on my way home.” Yes, Madi really  _ does _ want to help with the decorations. She’s been looking forward to it all day.

* * *

A few hours later the house is sufficiently decorated and Bellamy has finished all of the baking. Madi has been trying real hard all day not to sneak a cookie. She can do this. She’s also very excited for the party to start. Madi has been asking Bellamy what time it is all evening. Bellamy keeps reminding her that asking him more won’t make time go by any faster, and she knows that, but she’s  _ excited _ . It’s her first ever Christmas party and Bellamy and Clarke even let her invite two friends from school, Ethan and Charlotte. 

_ Finally _ , someone rings the doorbell, so it must be seven. Madi runs enthusiastically towards the door to see who it is when Clarke swings it open. Octavia and Lincoln are the first ones to show up. Lincoln hands Clarke a bottle and Octavia hugs her before both step inside. Octavia sees Madi and waves.

“Hi Madi,” she says, ruffling Madi’s hair

“Hi!”

“Are you excited for Christmas?”

“Yes!”

“That’s good. Do you think Santa got your Christmas list?”

“I really, really hope so,” Madi says. She had written a letter to Santa this year for the first time ever and Clarke had dropped it at the mailbox for her. None of her other foster families had ever asked her if she wanted to so when Clarke had suggested it this year Madi didn’t even really know where to start. Can she even ask Santa for what she wants if it isn’t a physical item? She put it in her letter anyway, but put a few other small things on her list in case he didn’t have the power to get Clarke and Bellamy to adopt her. She doesn’t know how his powers work, okay?

“Well, he does see all and know all. I’m sure he’ll get you something you want,” Octavia says winking at her. 

Clarke leads Octavia and Lincoln into the kitchen, where Bellamy greets his sister. Other people arrive slowly following them, and Madi greets each of them as they arrive. Murphy slips her a couple of candy canes when he comes through the door and passes Bellamy a bottle of brown liquid. Madi thinks it looks yucky.

Ethan and Charlotte show up together and brag about how their moms are both letting them stay up late tonight for the party. Madi tells them Clarke and Bellamy are letting her do the same. For a while the three of them stay with the adults and eat party snacks. Many of the adults ask them about school and what they asked Santa for for Christmas. Ethan and Charlotte blurt out their lists while Madi distractedly chooses a couple of the smaller items she put in her letter to share. 

Eventually, Madi tells Ethan and Charlotte that Clarke said they could watch a movie on Netflix. The three of them race upstairs and Madi finds the remote.

They’re part way through the movie when Madi remembers the cookies that Bellamy made earlier that afternoon. Surely she can have one now that everyone’s arrived. Santa won’t take points away for that. 

“Hey,” Madi says to Ethan and Charlotte, pausing the movie. “Bellamy made some cookies earlier. Wanna go downstairs and get some?”

“Let’s go!” Charlotte says jumping up.

They tiptoe out into the hallway and arrive at the top of the stairs. Madi doesn’t know why they’re being sneaky. Bellamy did say it was okay for her to have a cookie when everyone else arrived.

“Look,” Ethan whispers to Madi, pointing down the stairs. Madi follows his finger and crouches down to the ground to peak through the railing bars and see where he’s pointing. Clarke’s body is angled towards them and she’s laughing, but Ethan is pointing at the man with his arm around her waist. It is definitely  _ not _ Bellamy. This man is wearing all red and has a long white beard. Wait. Is  _ Santa _ at their Christmas party? It must be Santa!

“It’s Santa!” Charlotte gasps excitedly, confirming Madi’s suspicions. Madi also gasps, not because Santa is at their party, but because Santa is now kissing  _ Clarke _ . Like a big old smooch on the lips! Why would he do that? Clarke is married to Bellamy! Clarke must have heard Madi gasp, because she pulls away from Santa and looks up the stairs. Madi pushes Charlotte and Ethan back towards the TV room, cookies forgotten. Clarke saw them! Clarke knows they know she was kissing Santa! 

They close the door behind them and Ethan and Charlotte flop onto the couch. Madi isn’t freaking out. She really isn’t. But Clarke saw her! Clarke knows  _ she _ knows. And Bellamy! What is she going to tell him?! How will Clarke and Bellamy ever be her real family if Clarke loves Santa? Madi’s Christmas wish will never come true. 

A few minutes of silence go by before someone knocks on the door. Madi and her friends haven’t even tried to put the movie back on.

“Madi,” Clarke calls, “Can we talk to you?”

Madi opens the door just a crack and peeks up at Clarke and...Bellamy? Because it isn’t Santa that is with Clarke anymore, it’s Bellamy, but he’s wearing the same pants Santa had on earlier. Something doesn’t make sense. She nods her head anyway and steps out into the hall.

“Why were you kissing Santa?” Madi asks, getting straight to the point. “Don’t you two still love each other.”

“We do!” Clarke exclaims. Bellamy kneels down to Madi’s level and grabs her hand.

“You can’t tell anybody this Madi, it’s a very well protected secret. You see, the truth is I  _ am _ Santa.”

“Really?!?”

“Really. But you have to keep it to yourself! No one else can ever know!”

“I won’t tell,” Madi says excitedly. But then she realizes one very important thing: if Bellamy really is Santa, then he will have read her letter to Santa and know exactly what she wants for Christmas. “You read my letter. I’m sorry, I thought that Santa could do anything but I never wanted you to feel like you have to keep me. You don’t have to if you don’t want to.

Bellamy and Clarke exchange a look before Clarke reaches into her back pocket and pulls out a piece of paper. “Madi…”

“We were going to put this under the tree,” Bellamy continues for Clarke, squeezing Madi’s hand. “But now that the cat’s out of the bag…” Madi looks down at the piece of paper but can’t quite sound out the word at the top.

“What does it say?”

“It’s an adoption application, Madi.” Madi feels herself go bug eyed.

“Really?”

“Really.” Clarke bends down at that point too and Madi throws herself into both of their arms, laughing joyously. She can’t believe it! 

“We want you to stay with us. We’ve wanted it pretty much since the moment we met you,” Bellamy says, and Madi just squeezes him tighter. A real family. She can get used to the idea of that. “Come on,” Bellamy says, grabbing hold of her hand and Clarke’s as he stands up once more. “Charlotte’s mom will be coming to get Ethan and Charlotte soon. You should go finish your movie. Lets go get you a plate of the cookies I made earlier.” Madi sees him wink at her, and at that moment, she feels like she’ll never be able to stop smiling.

* * *

  
  


“Got all the stocking stuffers ready to go there,  _ Mrs Claus _ ? Murphy jibes an hour later, coming up behind Clarke. She shoves him in return. When the three of them had emerged from upstairs, Madi had exuberantly started running around the room to hug every single person at the party before returning upstairs to her friends, cookies in hand. Clarke and Bellamy had been forced to tell their friends about the adoption earlier than they had planned. Unfortunately, Clarke had made the mistake of telling them all why.

“Shut up.” 

“Seriously though, I’m happy for you both. Not that you and Bellamy don’t have experience being parents, you practically raised this lot,” he says, gesturing to their group of friends. 

“Yes, though sometimes I wonder how successful we were there.”

“Ha ha.” Emori joins them then, tumbler of whiskey in hand. The woman really doesn’t do anything half-assed. Murphy wraps his arm around her waist and grins. “I was just telling Clarke how I hope we aren’t keeping her from returning to her husband’s workshop full of elves.”

“I like to think we take on fairly equal responsibility,” Clarke tosses back at him. Emori elbows him in the ribs

“John, don’t be a dick.” 

“You love me,” he says to her in return.

“Sometimes I do.”

“I’ll take it.”

“You know,” Clarke says, “this is all your fault.”

“Oh is it now?”

“Yes it is! If you hadn’t made that stupid bet we wouldn’t have had to tell her he’s Santa!”

“Hey now, I’m not the one who bet I could still carry that full stack of plates and walk in a straight line after a couple beers and five tequila shots without breaking anything.” Clarke rolls her eyes but realizes he does have a point. Her friend may be an idiot, but her husband is too. “Besides, blame Bellamy for the slip of tongue. I’m sure he could have found a better explanation or told her the truth. 

“A child’s imagination is a very sacred thing, John,” Emori says.

Raven and Miller join them and Clarke chats with her friends amicably for a bit longer until she feels Bellamy come up behind her. He wraps one arm around her waist and offers her a sip of the beer he’s been nursing. She tastes it and hums in approval.

“”’I am Santa’? Really?” Clarke asks him. He shrugs his shoulders sheepishly before they both return their attention to the conversation. Murphy’s shit-eating expression worries her. This can’t be good. 

“So Bellamy,” He drawls. “Should I give you my Christmas list now so you can get started for next year? Cause I think Emori and I are going to be needing a new TV for the apartment.” The rest of their friends snicker at his joke. Clarke gets the feeling this one will get held against them for a while.

“Sure. The forwarding address is 666 Go-Fuck-Yourself Avenue.”

“Calm down there Santa, aren’t you supposed to be a jolly old soul?”

Clarke’s mind drifts as their friends continue to tease her and Bellamy. Bellamy throws jabs back at Murphy and Raven as Clarke makes an excuse to duck away. She steps out into the hall and pulls open the drawer to the phone desk where she’d stashed Madi’s letter and smiles as her eyes skim the text once more.

  
  


Dear Santa,

I want you to know I’ve been really really good this year! I’ve never written a letter before but Clarke told me I should write you one to tell you what I want for Christmas.

I don’t even know if your powers let you do this but the one thing I want more than anything ever is to live with Clarke and Bellamy for forever. I want them to be my real mom and dad. They make me really really happy and I love them. 

If there is any way you can please give me Clarke and Bellamy as my family for Christmas that is what I want most of all.

Love, 

Madi.

  
  


Clarke drops the letter back in the drawer and closes it. She looks over to where Bellamy is still stuck in verbal combat with their friends. He catches her eye and smiles lovingly. She returns his smile and moves to rejoin the group. Madi isn’t the only one getting exactly what she wished for for Christmas. 

  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading and happy holidays to everyone!


End file.
